30 Illustrated Portraits in 30 Days by Musonda Kabwe

This past December illustrator Musonda Kabwe challenged himself to complete 30 character impressions of his Facebook friends. Towards the start of the project each portrait took him between 7 and 10 hours to complete without any colouring. Once he’d gained momentum, he was producing up to 5 illustrations per day at around 2 hours a piece. Musonda used a Wacom tablet to create the impressions in the style of tonal pencil or pen drawings, which feel a bit like fashion illustrations.

Speaking about his ‘Character Calendar’ series, Musonda says, “The project was really a spur of the moment decision. I wanted to streamline my illustration process and consolidate an illustrative style, but I just needed a method that would keep me engaged and motivated for the full month.”